July 23, 2014—Ford Motor says the 2015 F-150 will be at least 700 pounds lighter than that of the previous model year because of the use of military-grade aluminum alloy in the body and the cargo box, as well as the use of high-strength steel.

July 21, 2014—Proctor & Gamble and Whirlpool created a partnership to build an appliance that the companies say can reduce a consumer’s ironing and steaming needs and has the potential to cut your dry-cleaning expenses in half.

July 21, 2014—The Kidizoom Smartwatch ($60), which has a 1.4-inch color touch screen, can be connected to a home computer via a micro USB cable to charge the watch’s battery or to upload images, videos or voice recordings.

July 8, 2014—The manufacturer of a defective vacuum cleaner agreed to pay a $725,000 civil penalty to settle charges by Consumer Product Safety Commission that it knowingly failed to report a defect in the product’s electrical wiring.

July 25, 2014—Consumers who purchase subsidized health insurance through markets that are run by the federal government likely have no reason to worry about a federal courts clash that challenges the legality of such subsidies, three independent health-insurance experts tell Consumers Digest.

March 27, 2014—Federal Trade Commission proposed changes to its Fuel Rating Rule today that recognizes a new octane-rating method and revises requirements for blends of gasoline that have more than 10 percent ethanol.

July 25, 2014—Consumers who purchase subsidized health insurance through markets that are run by the federal government likely have no reason to worry about a federal courts clash that challenges the legality of such subsidies, three independent health-insurance experts tell Consumers Digest.

FTC suing Amazon for unauthorized in-app charges

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Federal Trade Commission today filed a lawsuit against Amazon that says the company billed parents for millions of dollars in unauthorized charges that were the result of children using mobile applications that were downloaded or purchased from Amazon’s Appstore.

FTC says no password or parental consent was required for purchases that were made by children who played games and bought virtual items such as acorns, coins and stars within the games. As a result, Amazon allowed children to spend unlimited amounts of money without parental involvement on the so-called in-app purchases, FTC says.

FTC consumer protection director Jessica Rich says “thousands” of consumers were affected, but she wouldn’t be more definitive. Rich also wouldn’t say how many millions of dollars consumers were charged.

FTC’s lawsuit seeks a court order that requires Amazon to refund consumers for the unauthorized charges and permanently bans Amazon from billing parents and other account holders for in-app charges without their consent.

The agency says Amazon in November 2011 introduced in-app purchases that didn’t require a password. In March 2012, Amazon updated its in-app billing system to require account owners to enter a password for purchases that cost $20 or more, FTC says. However, Amazon continued to allow children to make unlimited purchases of less than $20 without an account holder’s approval until June 2014.

Another app supplier, Apple, agreed in January 2014 to refund at least $32.5 million to consumers who had similar unauthorized charges that were the result of children using apps for iPads and iPhones.